Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.
I'm Feifei.
And I'm Neil.
Hey, thanks for joining me today Feifei.
No problem, Neil.
I wanted to give you my support
for your first run in the park.
Well, this run in the park is only five kilometres.
I know, but you're not particularly
fit and you haven't done much training.
Oh don't worry about that.
This will be a walk in the park!
Err, Neil. I hope you're not thinking
of walking around the park.
This is a run, a run in the park!
I have no intention of walking.
It's just an expression that means it's easy
to do, especially compared to other activities.
I'm glad to hear that because it's just about to start.
Let's hope you really do find it easy!
Don't worry, I will have finished by
the time you hear these examples.
I've been studying for so long.
This exam should be a walk in the park.
Oh, don't worry about me.
I've trekked in the Himalayas.
This hill will be a walk in the park!
The job at the bank will be a walk in the park.
You studied economics at university!
You're listening to The English We Speak
from BBC Learning English and Neil has
been using the phrase 'a walk in the park'
to explain that a run in the park is easy,
especially when compared to other activities
like running a full marathon, for example.
But where is Neil now?
(Panting.) Here I am. Oh, that was hard.
So that run wasn't a walk in the park then?
That's a shame.
Why's that?
Well, I thought that if running in the
park was too easy, you could train
for next year's London Marathon.
It's over 42 kilometres.
That would be no walk in the park.
Err, could we just park that idea, please?!
I'm going to do another activity
to keep fit and healthy.
Oh yes, what's that?
Walking. In the park!
Good idea. Bye!
Bye.
Hello and welcome back to
The English We Speak.
I’m Feifei.
And I’m Neil, hello everybody.
So Neil, word round the office is that
you had quite an exciting weekend!
That I did! I went away this weekend
to do some rock climbing!
How exciting! I didn’t think that
would be your kind of thing.
What are saying, Feifei?
That I’m not in good shape? OK, fair point.
It has been a long time since I’ve been
rock climbing but I used to go all the time.
I may not have the stamina any more
but I still have the technique.
It was like riding a bike.
What? You rode a bike while climbing?
Or did you carry the bike up with you?
What are you talking about, Neil?!
No, I was struggling to pull myself
up the rocks, never mind a bike!
What I meant is that it’s a skill I will
always have and always remember.
So we can say ‘It’s like riding a bike’
to mean that once you learn how to
do something, you never forget it.
Let’s take a look at some more examples.
Though it’s been a while since I made
a video, I managed to do it easily.
It was like riding a bike.
I used to do a lot of baking with my mother
as a child and recently I’ve got back into it.
It’s like riding a bike really.
I know it’s been a long time since you’ve done
any knitting, but honestly, it’s like riding a bike.
This is The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English and we’re talking
about the phrase ‘It’s like riding a bike’.
It's used when we want to say
that once you learn how to do
something, you never forget it.
So Neil said that rock climbing,
an activity he used to do all the time,
was like riding a bike.
That’s right Feifei, it was difficult because it
was tiring, but I remembered with ease how
to tie the ropes and all the best techniques.
The idea is that once you have learnt to
do something once, like riding a bike,
you will never forget that skill.
Well it seems that setting up the studio
is not like riding a bike for you, Neil.
The volume in my headphones is way too loud!
Oh dear, I think I’d best get away
from here as fast as I can
before Feifei gets really mad!
Where's my bike…?
Thanks for joining us everyone!
Bye bye!
Great party last night, Feifei!
It was so much fun, Neil.
I loved your dad dancing, too!
You... saw my dad... dancing?
But my dad wasn't dancing.
He wasn't even there.
No, no, no.
You know what I mean: 'dad dancing'.
It means dancing like... well, like a dad.
I'm not sure where you're going with this?
'Dad dancing' is our phrase in
The English We Speak.
It describes a way of dancing
which is a bit awkward, not very cool,
maybe trying too hard.
What are you saying?
I can moonwalk. I can spin on the spot.
I can swing my arms in the air.
I've got all the moves!
All fantastic dad dancing moves!
Don't worry, it looked like you
were really enjoying yourself.
It's OK, I get it.
Some of my moves are a bit old-fashioned.
But sometimes it just feels good to let go!
I think your kids were a little bit embarrassed.
Really? They're just jealous.
Haha, maybe! OK, let's hear some examples.
Wow, look at Ernesto.
Is he swinging a cat? What a dad dancer!
Katka's dad was hilarious at the wedding.
Everyone had stopped dancing but
he was still up there dad dancing,
showing off all his moves.
I used to think Dad's dad dancing was funny.
But after he injured his ankle really badly
last time, I think it's time he slowed down.
You're listening to The English We Speak
from BBC Learning English.
Our expression is 'dad dancing'. Neil?
(Unintelligible) Yeah. (Unintelligible) Next Wednesday?
OK. Yeah... See you!
Who were you calling?
I've just booked some dance lessons.
You've helped me realise
I need to improve my skills.
I was only teasing, Neil.
It's OK. If I'm dancing, I want to be
the best dancer on the floor.
And if I'm dad dancing...
Well, I want to be finest
dad dancer you've ever seen!
Ha, best of luck. Bye.
Bye.
So Neil...
Yes, Feifei?
Everyone's asking, who was that beautiful
woman who you were at lunch with?
Ah, she's a... just a friend.
A new friend. Err, a very nice, new friend.
Ooh, you really like her!
Well, yes. She's lovely. She's a doctor.
Neil, I just can't help thinking...
she's so pretty!
What are you saying, Feifei?
She's too pretty for me?
As you know, I punch above my weight!
You certainly do.
And I'm not saying you're fat!
Haha. Yes, 'to punch above your weight' is
our phrase on The English We Speak.
It means to achieve beyond
what is expected of you.
We can use it to describe the performance
or influence of companies or even countries.
Or in this case, when Neil is going out with
someone more attractive and successful,
we say he is punching above his weight!
Hey, Feifei. That was a bit harsh.
Anyway, let's hear these examples.
Croatia punches above its weight
when it comes to football.
It has a population of under 5 million
but came second in the World Cup.
Even as a small business, you can punch
above your weight if you focus
on quality and build a strong brand.
Some of the cheaper smartphones
are really punching above their weight.
They're a fraction of the price
but have got some great features.
You're listening to The English We Speak
from BBC Learning English.
Our expression is 'punch above your weight'.
So, Neil, how did you meet this mystery woman?
Well, she's a doctor.
You know I was going to boxing class earlier this year?
Yes, how's that going?
Well, I stopped.
I was training with someone much bigger
than me, and I, err... broke my nose.
You were literally punching above your weight!
Yes. And who should I meet at the
hospital but this beautiful doctor!
Well, it's a good story.
Shame it's not true.
I know. I've never boxed in my life!
And I know you had lunch alone today.
Ahh. But I hope the story helps teach this phrase!
I hope so too.
Anyway, if you're not busy...
fancy lunch tomorrow, Feifei?
There you go again,
punching above your weight! Bye.
Ouch! That must have hurt!
Hello, this is The English We Speak
and I'm Feifei.
And hello, I'm Rob.
Hey Rob, watch this...
Yeah very impressive, Feifei.
But why are you singing and dancing?
Well, I booked a holiday in a lovely
hotel with a fantastic swimming pool.
Right. And you're celebrating by
singing and dancing? Very strange!
No Rob, of course not! There's a problem.
The swimming pool is closed for refurbishment and I
want to cancel my holiday but the hotel won't let me.
Oh right. So you're singing about it?
No. Neil told me to call the hotel again and
make a song and dance about my reservation.
So I'm practising before I do.
Haha, hold on Feifei. Don't waste your time.
What Neil means by
'to make a song and dance about it',
is to make lots of unnecessary fuss about it
- basically, to overreact.
Ah, got it! So, overreact - yes, I can do that!
Well, go and make that phone call
while we listen to some examples.
Urgh, my boyfriend makes such a song and
dance about doing the housework.
But to be honest, it's not that hard!
Don't make a song and dance about it.
I only asked you to move seats
so I could see the screen.
I can't believe they lost your suitcase at the airport.
You should make a song and dance
about this and get a proper apology.
This is The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English and we're learning about
the phrase 'to make a song and dance
about something' which means to make
a lot of unnecessary fuss about something.
And Rob, that's what I did when I called the hotel.
So, you overreacted?
Yes.
You made lots of fuss?
You made a scene?
I did, and guess what?
What?
They apologised and offered me a free holiday
when the swimming pool has reopened
and said I could bring a guest for free.
Brilliant, a free guest!
So, when shall we go?
We Rob? No, I'm taking my best friend Maria.
What?! I'm not your best friend?!
All that time we've worked together.
All the things I've given you.
Calm down, Rob.
Don't make a song and dance about it.
I'll send you a postcard.
Oh thanks.
Bye.
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak.
I'm Feifei.
And I'm Roy! I'm so excited!
You made me so happy when you messaged
me what we're doing today!
What?! We are about to go into one of the
most intense and important meetings of our lives.
Why are you happy about that?
I thought we were playing a selection
of classic board games!?
I brought my favourite game.
Why on earth would you bring a selection
of board games to a huge meeting?
You told me in your message to bring a game!
You were very clear!
No, Roy! I said bring your ‘A game’!
Not bring a game!
Your ‘A game’ is your best performance.
And that's what we need in this meeting.
Right, well clearly I have brought my ‘A game’
and a great board game that we can play
after we are successful in the meeting!
Roy, if you manage to convince everyone
of my plan, I'll play your stupid game!
Let's listen to these examples while we have a meeting.
Claus brought his A game to the
meeting and sealed the deal.
That team won the match easily.
They brought their A game.
Erica didn't bring her A game to
the quiz, and we lost by a point.
This is The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English, and we're talking about
the expression 'A game'.
Your 'A game' is your best or
highest level of performance.
Yes, it's commonly used with the verb 'bring'
and a possessive pronoun like 'your'.
You're very lucky that I brought
my ‘A game’ to the meeting.
But it really didn't seem like that a
truly vital and important meeting.
It was for me. I'm just really happy you
managed to convince them that I needed
an indoor golf course in the office!
And now I believe I owe you something!
Yes, you promised to play the board
game I brought with me today!
No, not that, it looks boring,
and I don't want to fall asleep.
I was thinking of playing some golf.
Well, OK. I like golf, I'm not very good at it, so I'll
have to bring my 'A game' if I want to beat you.
You're not playing.
I'll let you carry my clubs while I play as a
reward for your hard work in the meeting.
So, don't worry about bringing your 'A game'.
Bye!
Welcome to The English We Speak,
I'm Feifei.
And I'm Rob!
A very messy and scruffy Rob, if I may say so.
Did you not have time to brush your hair today?
Feifei, things are a bit difficult at the moment.
I'm having some work done on my house.
And has your hairbrush gone missing?
No, no. I'm not living at home at the moment.
I'm sleeping where anyone has a spare sofa.
It was Neil's house on Monday, Paul's
on Tuesday, Sam's on Wednesday...
I get it. You are couch surfing.
Yes, even though I don't own a surfboard!
But I am moving from one couch, or sofa,
to another, which is a bit like surfing!
Yes, when someone is ‘couch surfing’ it means
they temporarily stay in other people's houses
for free - often sleeping on the sofa or couch –
because they don't have their own home.
But no surfboard needed!
No, not unless you want to use one as a bed!
Let's hear some more examples.
Since I left university, I haven't been able
to find a job so I've been couch surfing at
my friends' to try and save money.
I've been couch surfing around the world.
It's a great way to meet other people
and it makes travelling affordable.
I've had an argument with my girlfriend,
so I'm moving out.
Do you mind if I couch surf with
you guys for a few weeks? Please!
This is The English We Speak
from BBC Learning English and we're
talking about the phrase 'couch surfing'.
This describes temporarily staying at
different people's homes for free because
you haven't got your own home to stay in.
It's not great if you haven't got your own
place to live in but luckily for you, Rob,
the work on your house is temporary
and you'll be back living at home soon.
Well, maybe not.
Oh! Why's that?
Well, the builder has found a lot of the
woodwork to be rotten and it needs
replacing and that could takes weeks.
So I was wondering...
You want to couch surf at my house?
The answer is no! I don't want you carrying
out the other meaning of couch surfing.
And what's that?
Couch surfing can sometimes mean just
lying on the sofa watching TV or browsing
the internet on your laptop.
Yeah. But I'd do the washing up.
The answer is still no! Bye, Rob.
Bye everyone.
Hello and welcome to The English We Speak
with me, Feifei.
And me, Rob.
So, Feifei, what are you doing tonight?
Tonight? Oh, erm, I’m busy.
I’m washing my hair tonight.
Oh right, so you’re not going to
that new bar for a drink?
I overheard someone saying that you
and some of the team were going.
Oh yes! The new bar.
We are going for a drink – just one - on the way home.
Err, would you like to join us?
Oh yes that would be great!
Actually, haven’t you got that big project to finish?
The one the boss said was very important?
Oh that! No, no, no, that’s not important.
I’ll leave it for a few days and he’ll forget about it.
Hmm, so you’re going to kick it into the long grass?
‘Kick it into the long grass’?
You mean delay a plan or decision about something
because it will only cause problems for me – and that
by delaying it, it might get forgotten altogether?
That’s exactly what I meant!
Let’s hear some examples of this phrase in action.
The decision to kick the plans for a new railway line
into the long grass means that we’ll have to continue
to face overcrowding and slow journey times.
He hoped by kicking a decision on her marriage
proposal into the long grass she'd soon forget.
But she didn’t!
I’ve decided to kick this plan to redecorate
the house into the long grass.
We’ve got more urgent things to do,
like fixing the hole in the roof!
You're listening to The English We Speak
from BBC Learning English.
In this programme, we're looking at the expression
'to kick something into the long grass'.
It means to delay a plan or decision
because it is difficult or problematic.
And Rob is delaying the project the boss
asked him to do because it’s hard work.
Hard work? This project is perfect for someone
with my skills, but I need time to think about it…
maybe a few weeks.
But if you kick it into the long grass,
you won’t be able to find it!
Of course not. Now, what time are
we going for that drink?
Rob could I have a word about that urgent
project I asked you to do – as soon as possible?
Oh dear, Rob. It looks like you’re going to
have to kick that drink into the long grass.
I think you’d better go and see the boss.
Good luck!
OK. See you later.
Bye!
Welcome to The English We Speak. I'm Neil.
And I'm Feifei.
Actually, Feifei, can you help me with something?
Go on.
There's this girl I like. I want to ask her for coffee.
But I don't want to seem too serious
or creepy or anything. Just friendly.
And you're writing her a message? OK.
I just can't find the words.
Easy. Stick a couple of emojis on there.
Much less formal!
You mean, like, a smiley face?
Yeah, but those are so last year.
Maybe a love heart?
Seriously? That's a bit too much.
You need to up your emoji game!
My emoji game... like an emoji
of a video game... or a football?
No. The phrase 'to raise your game',
or 'to up your game', means to improve.
Yes, it's a good phrase.
Feifei, you're not working hard enough,
you need to up your game!
That's not true... but good use of 'up your game'.
The phrase has now developed a bit.
We often add what we're trying to
improve before the word 'game'.
Like this.
I never finish novels. I need to up my reading game.
I badly need to work on my interview game
before my big interview next week.
You could do with a bit more exercise, mate.
You should raise your running game!
Great. Hope those examples help.
Any progress with that text message?
Here goes: "Lucy. Please have a coffee with me
tomorrow." And then some coffee emojis.
Well, it's direct!
But I still think we need to up your emoji game.
Actually, and your texting game.
Oh, and your dating game...
We've got a lot of work to do!
Oh, ok. Well I already sent the message.
Let's hope it works!
Ooh she's replied already.
No way, what did she say?
"Neil. I thought you'd never ask!
I'd love to have coffee. 3pm?"
And then a couple of big smiley emojis.
Wow, congratulations.
Maybe it's me who needs to up my game.
Looks like it!
Bye.
Welcome to The English We Speak, I'm Feifei.
And I'm Rob. Quick Feifei, shut that door.
OK, calm down Rob, what's the problem?
Well there's something going on in the office.
Everyone's shouting and arguing about who
broke the computer, you know, the new one
with all that fancy software on it.
Oh yes, that really expensive one.
So you've run away from the situation.
That makes you look very guilty.
Well that's true but the problem is, I am guilty.
But the boss seemed so angry.
I thought it best to... well... sort of...
Do a runner!
Yes, if you mean to leave a place in order to avoid
a difficult or unpleasant situation -
then I suppose you're right.
I am!
Oh no, is someone coming?
I'll just hide under the desk while we hear
some examples of this phrase in action.
The new trainee did a runner after the first day.
I don't think he could cope with
the high-pressure environment.
When they started to blame me for the mistake,
I felt it best to do a runner and keep out of the way.
So that's the phrase, to do a runner, which means
to leave a place quickly in order to avoid
a difficult or unpleasant situation.
But Rob, this phrase has another similar meaning too?
Yes. You can 'do a runner' from a place
to avoid paying for something.
Like a restaurant. Have you done that Rob?
Of course not! You know how honest I am.
Honest? Is that why you are hiding in this studio,
rather than admit you broke the new computer?
Well, it was an accident. Oh no...
the boss is heading straight for the studio.
I had better dash... see ya.
Bye Rob.
It looks like he's done a runner again. Bye.
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and thank you very much for watching.
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Hope to see you soon. Bye guys!